Overhead-trolley track.



-Pate' ntqd on. 28, 1902'.

(Application filed July 16, 1902.)

(N0 Model.)

WILLIAM SUMNER, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO OOBURN TROLLEY TRACK 'MANUFAOTURING COMPANY, OF WILLIMANSETT, MAS- SAOHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

OVERHEADTROLLEY TRACK.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 712,344 dated October as, 1902.

Application filed July 16, 1902.

To all whom, it wtrty concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. SUMNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Overhead-Trolley Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of overhead-trolley tracks, the object of the invention being to provide a track of this description having, like the ordinary tubular trolley-track, parallel channels formed along its lower edge for the reception of the wheels of the trolley, but having separated sides, whereby the track is not only much cheaper, but whereby the two sides of the track may be adapted to receive trolley devices of different widths and whereby the track may be adapted to receive trolley-wheels of different diameters, the track being adapted to these various changes by mounting the two sides of the track in hangers whose vertical and longitudinal dimensions determine the dimension of the trolley apparatus which may travel on the track.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a hanger and track constructed according to myinvention, a portion of a supporting-timber being shown to which the hanger may be bolted and one of the track-pieces being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the track and portions of the hanger, the section being taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view of a hanger having an undercut rib on its inner face adapted to receive the upper edge of the two side pieces constituting the track.

In carrying my invention into practice I form the track of two separate portions a and b, which are alike in all respects and which consist of flat sheet-metal strips of a suitable thickness, along one edge of which there is 45 formed a wheel-receiving channel 0 by bending the lower edge of the plate in any suitable way to produce the channel c,which prefer-v ably lies entirely on one side of the strips or portions 0. and 19. Preferably the lower edge Serial No. 115,814. (No model.)

of the plate is bent, as shown in the drawings, to form a channel semicircular in cross-section, or substantially so, though, if desired, this channel may be so formed as to be, for example, rectangular or V-shaped in crosssection, the semicircular channel, however, being preferred. These track-pieces a and b are supported in a suitable hanger d, which consists of two depending arms 6, secured to or integral with a cross-bar, the lower extremities of the arm 6 being turned inwardly one toward another, their inner surfaces being curved or otherwise formed to coincide with the cross-sectional form of the channel 0 and the side'pieces a and b of the track, which are usually perpendicular. Suitable means are providedas,for example,the bolts fwhereby said hangers may be supported.

The side pieces a and b of the tracks are made, preferably,of uniform length,and when mounted in the hangers the ends of two of the track-pieces will be butted together to form a joint on one of the armseof the hanger, while the ends of the opposite track will be brought together at the next hanger. 'This, however, is an immaterial point, as the joints 7.5 between the track-pieces need not necessarily be broken, and the joints of both may be located in the same hanger, if desired. However that may be, at each hanger the side pieces of the track are secured to the arms e of the hanger at each hanger preferably by means of bolts g, whose heads are countersunk in the side pieces a and b to leave a smooth surface on the latter. If it is desired to reduce the number of bolts 9 or to dispense with these bolts altogether, (which may be done in some instances,) then the hangers are provided on the inner side of the arms e with a rib h, which is undercut along its lower edge to receive the upper edge of the side pieces CL and b, the rib being so located that the said side pieces shall fit snugly between said rib and the lower curved extremities of the arms e.

From the foregoing description it is obvious 5 that the track can be manufactured very eco- I nomically as compared with the tubular track having the same channels for the reception of the trolley-wheels, as shown and described herein. It is a much simpler operation to turn the edge of a flat plate up to form a channel than it is to bend that plate into rectangular form, with a channel 0 turned up on each of the sides thereof, as at present generally constructed. Furthermore, this track possesses the very obvious advantage of being made capable by a mere change of hangers of receiving trolley devices either wider than formerly or higher,0r both, and by means of this form of track the manufacturers and dealers need carry but a small proportion of the stock which they must now carry in tubular form to meet the requirements of the trade. Still further, in case of injury to the track a strip may be taken out and replaced much more cheaply and conveniently than can be done with the tubular track, and there is, furthermore, a saving-of substantially one-third in the weight of metal required for the track when it is manufactured as shown and de scribed in this application.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An overhead-trolley track consisting of two separate parallel strips of sheet metal, the lower edges of which are inwardly turned to constitute channels for the wheels of a trolley device, and suitable supports to which said strips may be secured.

2. An overhead-trolley track consisting of two separate parallel strips of sheet metal, the lower edges of which are inwardly and upwardly turned to constitute channels for the wheels of a trolley device, together with hangers having arms thereon extending downwardly transversely of said strips and under said channels.

3. An overhead-trolley track consisting of two separate parallel strips of sheet metal, the lower edges of which are inwardly and upwardly turned to constitute channels for the wheels of a trolley device, together with hangers having arms thereon extending downwardly transversely of said strips and under said channels, and means for securing the strips to said hangers.

WILLIAM J. SUMNER.

\Vi tn esses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs. 

